Sarah on theater

I’m shook. I can’t believe how much I loved this. Am I out of touch? So many people around me hated it and left at intermission.

As a historical document, it’s fascinating. We get a pretty granular look at 150 years of changing gender roles, vocations, courtship rituals, marriage/family dynamics, and a (loud) meditation on the nature of real vs. illusory happiness—a pretty good premise for a concept musical that, some book modernizations aside (it was probably reasonable to cut the minstrel show), goes supernova when you transpose it to a contemporaneous 1948 framing and also, like, invent the form.

A little mystique never hurt anybody, either. Rarely staged since its premiere, with no official cast recording, pulled in for a seven-performance Encores run with no shot of transferring anywhere—everything about this is making my geeky brain squirm with delight.

But the most surprising thing is that I actually really enjoyed it on its own terms, too? It’s funny and sappy and weird and the message is coherent and timeless. A lot of the music was really beautiful to my ears, and Kate Baldwin, Brian Stokes Mitchell, a harmonious ensemble, and the Encores orchestra completely make a meal out of it. Please record, thank you.

Could this be improved with a more elaborate production? Sure. And maybe a couple of the narrative conceits are a bit silly, and the music might not be for everyone. But if you’re sitting there scoffing and leveling ticky-tacky critiques, all I can say is don’t miss the forest for the trees, man. What a cool experience.